If your home Wi-Fi network doesn’t have the range that you would wish, there are a number of ways you could try improving it. You could try a few fixes to improve your wireless situation, to begin with. You could change the broadcast channel on your router, you could try using software like HeatMapper for help positioning your router better and so on. If these tweaks don’t work, though, it’s time to go shopping for better equipment. Let’s take a look at what your options are.
You could get a better router
Wi-Fi routers and adapters are designed to one of four standards – b , g , n and ac . You’ll know what you have looking at … [Read more...]

There are many types of mp3 and portable music players available, but anyone who walks down a busy city street at rush hour can tell you that the iPod has become the most ubiquitous. A decade after its initial launch, iTunes now comes standard on many computers or is one of the first programs users download to accommodate their music collection. Aside from the ability to carry your favorite songs with you wherever you go, many iPod owners don’t realize just how functional this gadget can be.
While iPods can store a large number of music files, they can also provide a more general level of portable file storage. You can use your iPod to … [Read more...]

With so many well-known brands offering ready-built retail desktops, picking a prebuilt PC is much easier than building your own. While you can't beat the convenience of retail PCs, you give up a lot for it.
The whole point of getting the desktop is that you no longer need to compromise
Buying a laptop, have you ever found that it's hard to get the mix of components and price exactly right? If a laptop has a great processor, it could be let down by small screen or an inadequate number of USB ports. If there's enough hard disk space, the inbuilt graphics card may be inadequate. It's always a compromise. Buying a … [Read more...]

Hardware and software problems don't necessarily look different. Blue-screening, for instance, can be caused both by faulty hardware and faulty software. If you have a serious computer problem, how do you track down the cause?
If your computer has slowed down
If a slow computer is your main problem, it's usually nothing more serious than a software issue. Your problem could be a heavy load of unnecessary startup programs, a malware infection or even your hard disk switching to PIO mode (because of repeated improper shutdowns). These are easily fixed with a little tweaking or with antivirus software. … [Read more...]

Wireless hotspots are changing the face of the modern work (and play) day. These WiFi enabled areas can be found everywhere from libraries and coffee houses to commuter trains and airports. And because you can access them from any mobile device, including laptops, netbooks and smart phones, they’re quickly becoming a staple of information access.
But public WiFi hotspots have something else in common besides accessibility and popularity – they’re notoriously vulnerable to hackers. Because they’re open networks, they do not encrypt data. This makes them prone to security breaches, making your information visible to prying eyes. Of … [Read more...]